


Love It If We Made It

by WaterCacti



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Mommy Issues, There will be some background relationships too, eventually romelle/allura, sad backstory revealed eventually, shadam is background a little too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-07-29 17:24:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16268897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterCacti/pseuds/WaterCacti
Summary: Keith and Lance have been friends since high school, and hearing about Lance's dates hadn't been something that made Keith mad before. He had enough on his plate to deal with, realizing his heavy, gross, overwhelming crush on one of his best friends was not something he needed a serving of. The universe never gave anyone a break, unfortunately.





	1. Somebody Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The question had Lance looking around, not so subtly, trying to hide very obvious guilt. Keith raised an eyebrow, waiting for Lance to crack. It didn’t take long, Lance was sighing dramatically and laughing a little. “Okay, I also locked my keys in my car. I have my phone and my wallet, so really I’m fine, but I can’t get into my place without a key.” A pause. “Guess I’ll have to stay at your place tonight.”

Light from the streetlamps pooled on the concrete like water, spreading throughout the night. Small specks of light illuminated the sky, paving the way for morning travelers. Not many were out, but those that were didn’t stick around long. Many were racing home, hoping to get some sleep before the world woke up. Then there were the few that were out against their wishes. Favors being cashed in. The man on the motorcycle had little time to enjoy the stars or the calm of the sleepy hours around him, there was someone that needed his assistance. It wasn’t a long drive, his destination was just outside of town, but it felt like an hour due to his brain still being back under the covers. Two in the morning wasn’t an odd time for a young person to be awake, but on a Tuesday morning waking up at two in the morning was not ideal.

His destination came into view as he slowed his pace, spotting the familiar baby blue car that Keith had grown to adore. It was a lot nicer than the first car, this one had been the owner’s mother’s before it was passed on to him for college. Keith could still recall how happy his friend had been when the old, beat up car he had been driving could finally be put to rest. They went out to dinner with the rest of their friends to celebrate. That was always Lance’s style, celebrating the little things. Recently things had been different, he seemed more gloomy than normal, but Keith wasn’t worried. The end of the school year always had Lance under the rainclouds. Finals were hard, and Keith did his best to assist, but some things were out of his league. He spotted those eyes that rivaled the stars before he could see the rest of the man.

“Keith!” Lance even sounded tired, but relieved, as Keith slowed to a stop on the side of the road next to him. The hood of the car was propped up, Lance removing the prop at the sight of Keith and lowered the hood before letting it slam closed. Slipping off his helmet, he smiled softly at the sight. “I’m so glad you were awake, dude.” Lance continued, walking over to him now.

“I wasn’t, but it’s fine. Ever figure out what was wrong?” Keith held out the helmet to Lance. He took it but held back on putting it on, instead holding it on his hip and cocking it.

“No, not at all. I don’t know shit about cars.”

“We can have Shiro tow it in the morning, I’m not doing that now. So, to your place?”

The question had Lance looking around, not so subtly, trying to hide very obvious guilt. Keith raised an eyebrow, waiting for Lance to crack. It didn’t take long, Lance was sighing dramatically and laughing a little. “Okay, I also locked my keys in my car. I have my phone and my wallet, so really I’m fine, but I can’t get into my place without a key.” A pause. “Guess I’ll have to stay at your place tonight.”

Keith scoffed playfully, rolling his eyes the best he could. When he tried to he really just looked upwards, and there was no rolling movement, but Lance would keep that to himself. It was endearing. 

“I know you just want to see Kosmo, but fine. C’mon, hop on.” It was a teasing jab but Keith knew it was partially true. Lance hadn’t stayed the night in a long time, partially that was Keith’s fault, but when he had stayed over often it was more often than not he would wake up and find the two cuddled up on the couch, Kosmo practically smothering Lance. The sight always made him laugh.

With Lance situated behind him on the bike, Keith started up the engine and took off slowly, gradually picking up speed. Lance always loved the fast space of the bike, but was still scared of the feeling so he clung to Keith, arms around his waist and holding tight. Keith knew this, so he shifted gears and went twenty over the speed limit on the highway back into town to mess with the passenger. The ride was quick, Lance almost made it into town in his car, Keith pulling to a stop outside his apartment building and parking. They were both silent as Keith led them both up the familiar path to his door, quietly unlocking the front door and slipping inside. 

Lance yawned behind him, shutting the door. “I’m so tired, I feel like the entire world is asleep.” He motioned towards the large, now half-awake husky draped in the dog bed next to the sofa. “Even Kosmo is barely awake.” He took a look around the apartment, breathing in the fading smell of baked goods. Shiro must have stopped by recently.

“He’s barely awake because we woke him up, C'mon,” Keith nodded for Lance to follow, heading towards his bedroom. Before Keith could say anything Lance was pulling off his jeans and crawling into bed. Keith’s bed. This wouldn’t be the first time they had slept in the same bed, and Keith knew how often Lance hogged the blanket.

“Thanks for sharing your bed with me Keith, you’re such a good friend, hope you have another blanket,” Lance flashed a grin at Keith and snuggled deeper into the sheets, kicking the blanket up and pulling it over himself. He saw Keith standing, arms crossed, so he reached over to the other end of the bed and patted it. “Bedtime.” It was too dark to tell, but he swore there was a smile on Keith’s lips. The dark haired male shook his head and ran a hand through his hair before following suit, stripping off his jeans and crawling onto the other side of the mattress with a soft “Fine, fine”. They were both settled in bed, facing each other. With one last check to see if they were both settled, Lance let his eyes slip closed. Keith didn’t know when sleep pulled him under, but he didn’t recall ever taking his eyes off Lance.

For once, Lance woke up first. The feeling of a warm body pressed against his side was not an uncommon one, but normally it was a dog and not a human. Maybe it could be explained since upon further inspection he had stolen the entire blanket throughout the night and was spread out like a starfish. His heart skipped a beat, panic in his throat as Keith shifted against him. As quickly as he had woken up, Lance pretended to be asleep. Awareness slowly filled Keith’s mind as he started to wake up, blinking his eyes open and glancing around. A quick glance around proved he was not where had fallen asleep. The blush on his cheeks turned dark red as he looked up at Lance, sighing in relief at the sight of his eyes still closed. He shifted to slowly sit up, moving away from Lance. His eyes lingered on the other, scanning over his pose. He didn’t know why he let Lance sleep with him at this point. Damn though, he could get used to waking up next to that every morning. The thought sent an unwarranted shock of panic through him. Maybe it was because he was thinking about waking up domestically next to Lance at that moment and he didn’t know why, or maybe it was because he knew damn well what that meant. Keith was quick to slip out of bed and throw some pants on, leaving his room.

As soon as Lance heard the door open, then close, he slowly sat up, glancing at himself in the mirror across the room. He’d cuddled with Keith before, that wasn’t abnormal between them, but this had his heart beating strangely hard. There was a distant noise of clattering on the floor, then the front door opening and closing. The apartment was silent. Lance slipped out of bed and shuffled to the bedroom door, slipping out and heading for the kitchen. He might have been shocked awake but he was still pretty tired overall, but that could be fixed with a nice cup of overly creamed coffee. As he walked into the kitchen he was greeted with the familiar scent of coffee brewing. Lance smiled to himself as he grabbed himself a mug, leaving it on the counter for later. If Keith so graciously made coffee, then Lance would start on breakfast. 

Upon further inspection of the fridge, there was very little to work with, but just enough to last breakfast. There would be a quick text to Shiro explaining he needed to take Keith grocery shopping and teach him how to stock his kitchen.

Lance started on eggs first, pulling out the carton and butter, sighing at the lack of seasoning in Keith’s cupboard. He could make it work, he always did. Now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since he had cooked anything for Keith. Then again they hadn’t hung out at Keith’s in a long time, he’s surprised the place was even remotely clean. Keith wasn’t a slob but when he was alone for a long time he felt cleaning was a secondary chore. Lance normally picked up around the house. The clean apartment further cemented that Shiro and Adam had been there. As he cracked the eggs into the pan he heard a noise, causing him to look up and over at the door. 

While he had been outside with Kosmo, letting him use the restroom, he sat on the front steps of the building. It was still early in the morning so there wasn’t much foot traffic, so Keith could enjoy the peace and quiet. He didn’t talk or make any noises, only making small noises when Kosmo would spot a bird and dare to dash off. Being outside in the cold, morning air helped clear his mind. God, he wanted a cigarette. Keith rubbed his hands over his face and shook out his hair, slowly standing and calling Kosmo over. The trip to his apartment was short-lived, but there was a surprise waiting for him. As he opened the door he saw Lance, awake, at the stove. The kitchen smelled good. 

“Morning, Grumpy-Pants, coffee’s done. Or, enough for you to get a cup.” Lance only spared him a glance before getting back to work. The scene had Keith’s stomach rumbling. Kosmo trotted past him and into the kitchen, leaning against Lance’s legs. Keith was slow to follow, watching as Lance pet Kosmo with one hand before focusing on cooking again.

“You didn’t have to, ya’ know,” Keith nodded towards the stove. He had been prepared to grab a piece of bread and call it breakfast, so it was probably for the best he had Lance continue with breakfast.

“And you know I want to,” Lance commented, focusing on his cooking. Keith didn’t reply, filling his mug up with coffee and doing the same to Lance’s. Grabbing out the cream from the fridge, he poured just enough into Lance’s to match the other’s liking, not putting any in his own. There wasn’t much for him to do in terms of helping, so he sat at the small dining table he had that was littered with papers and such. He would eventually get to cleaning through the junk. It was quiet between them, a peaceful silence while Lance cooked. Something was sticking to Keith’s mind about Lance’s arrival, though.

“How come you’re back in town early? I thought you were supposed to stay at your parents until Friday. It's only Tuesday.” 

That caught Lance’s attention. He glanced over his shoulder at his friend, shrugging with a small smile.

“I’ve got a date tomorrow night. Remember that girl I mentioned? Payton? She’s the blonde one,” he chopped lightly at the forming eggs to scramble them. Keith disregarded the fact that every girl he went on a date with was ‘the blonde one’. “Her user is is plaxum on, like, everything social media. I wanted to get back in time to freshen up and get ready for it.” Bringing up the date had Lance somewhat excited, but he couldn’t tell why he wasn’t as excited as he had been before. “I was thinking of taking her to that restaurant we found downtown, where we normally go for your birthday, with the really good burgers. I think she’ll like it.”

The news had Keith staring into his coffee. “I hope you guys have fun.” Lance had been on dates before, but they had never really effected him like this. Sure, he never really wanted to hear all the details about how great or bad the dates went, but the flare of irritation towards the subject was new. It soured his appetite. He got up and took another large swig of his coffee before dumping the rest in the sink and leaving the cup in there, now going towards his room.  
Lance glanced from the pan to Keith, watching him walk away. What was his deal? He was fine a second ago, it wasn’t normal for him to get so irritated. Maybe it was because it was still morning, yeah, that made sense. He’s probably still grumpy.

Keith threw on actual socks and shoes, he went barefoot outside earlier and grabbed his phone. Once he grabbed his jacket he was out of his room, heading towards the door. He stopped mid-step as he saw Lance standing there, a pan of freshly scrambled eggs ready in hand, staring at Keith confused and a little upset. Keith looked away, going for the door. “I’ll be back with Shiro, we’re going to get your car. If you could feed Kosmo for me that would be great.” He was quick out the door after that, not looking back. Lance stared at the door for a moment before looking down at Kosmo, who was laying next to his food bowl. 

“Guess it’s just us two for breakfast, huh?” He knelt down and nudged half of the eggs into his bowl before putting the rest on his plate. Huffing, he took his plate to the couch and sank into the cushions, lazily eating.

The other was currently outside, on the phone with his brother.

“Yeah, it isn’t far out of town. I had to pick him up last night.” Pause. “No, I am not grumpy.” Another pause, then a ‘hmph’ noise. “Stop kissing Adam for two seconds and come pick me up. Please.” 

Click.

Keith kicked at the ground as he waited, shuffling around with his hands buried in his pockets. Okay, he wasn’t an idiot, he knew at least a few reasons as to why he would get upset hearing about Lance’s date, but that did not mean he had to enjoy those reasons. Maybe that was why he was so excited to see him last night, so happy to hang out with him, no matter what time he had been woken up for it. Maybe that was why his favorite color was becoming blue, maybe that was why he was so on edge anytime Lance flirted with someone- hell, maybe that was why he got so irritated yet so warm when Lance would fake flirt with him. Maybe that was why he stopped smoking, or maybe that was why he wanted to pick it back up again. Things were complicated inside his head and he did not want to deal with that. Keith just wanted to push it down, ignore what it could mean.  
The sound of a car pulling up had Keith looking up, spotting Shiro’s truck making its way into the parking lot and over to where he was. He waved at the car, not even waiting for the car to stop before walking over and opening the door, climbing inside.

“Okay, now you can’t lie. You look grumpy. What happened?” Shiro kept his tone soft, trying to ease the answer out of Keith. It didn’t work this time, Keith looked up towards the roof of the car in his attempt of an eye roll and shrugged. “Well, when you’re ready to talk about whatever you’re irritated about, you can tell me.” Keith nodded.  
They drove off then, going in the general direction that Lance’s car was in. They were sitting in silence for a few minutes before Shiro tried again.

“Does this have something to do with mom?” He glanced over at the younger in the passenger seat. Keith stared out the window, his shoulders slumping at the mention.

“No. I haven’t heard anything in a while. She probably lost my number.” It was bitter on his tongue, he never liked talking about his mom. He understood, now that he was older, why she was so distant. That didn’t mean the long-lasting effects of watching his father pass and his mother fade away with grief just disappeared with a small ounce of understanding. He lost both parents that day, and maybe it was his fault he never talked to his mom because he didn’t reach out either, but she was the mom. It was her job to take that step forward and try to contact him. A sigh came from Shiro, an understanding but still sad sigh.

“You know that isn’t true. She’s… trying. She really is. Things have been getting better for her, so maybe she’ll come around.”

“How do you know? Has she been calling you?” It came out more like a snap, which Keith didn’t intend. He slumped in his seat again. Shiro took it in stride.

“No. Facebook. She posted something recently about her moving into a new apartment.”

Keith didn’t continue the conversation, letting it die off. He hated talking about his mom. They rode in silence after that, Keith staring out the passenger side window, watching the trees and occasional animal pass by the car. If he could he’d never think about his mom again, the only thoughts that involved her were bad ones and he would think back on the good times, back when his dad was still alive. Then he would think about how much he missed her and get angry because he didn’t want to miss her. She was the one who left, she should be missing him. Keith rubbed his thumb against his forefinger, slowly breathing in, holding it, then exhaling. 

The car pulled to a stop near the abandoned car, Shiro getting out and grabbing the straps from the back of the truck. Keith took his time following, slowly getting out of the car. There was so much he wanted to vent about, more things than he even knew about, and it was burning the back of his throat.  
They worked in silence, getting the car in place and strapping the front wheels in. It was while they were checking the straps Keith finally broke, his voice shaky.

“I’m _angry_. Confused. Upset, probably? I just feel all this, this shit, and I can’t tell why,” he finished tightening the strap and stood up abruptly, arms crossing over his chest as he continued. “It isn’t even about mom this time. I mean, it pretty much is always about mom. But this time it was Lance. I don’t even know why,” he threw his hands up. “I just got- I don’t know. Weirdly irritated when Lance mentioned he had a date. I never get mad at that. I normally just don’t care.” His voice cracked as he said ‘care’. Shiro was slowly standing up and making his way towards Keith, reaching out to gingerly place his hand on Keith’s shoulder, not saying anything. Keith took this as his cue to continue talking. “He said he had a date and I just left. I felt this twisting, gross, hurt in my gut and I just wanted to tell him to shut up while also cheering him on for getting a real date? He’s taking her to _Miller’s_ , downtown. That’s my-” He cut himself off, frowning. The burning in his throat only got worse, his eyes watering. Keith gripped his hands into fists, looking at anything but Shiro. "Which is stupid, because I don't own it, but I've only ever gone with him."

“That’s your birthday spot, I know.” He paused, rubbing his hand over Keith’s shoulder comfortingly. “I think I know what’s going on. You’re not going to like it.” Keith finally looked up at Shiro. Just because he already knew the answer did not mean he wanted it confirmed. He wanted to shove it down and down touch it. “It’s okay to admit you like him, Keith. I know letting people in is hard, but it’s Lance. He would not get mad at you if you told him.” When Shiro said it like that, Keith almost didn’t feel bad anymore. Somehow he always had a way of rationalizing the self-destructive parts of his brain. “You don’t have to tell him right away, give yourself some time too. I’m here for you, okay?” That caused his resolve to crumble, Keith finally giving in and lunging forward to hug Shiro, wanting to hide the fact he was definitely crying. They stayed there for a few minutes, Keith finally letting everything out. Once he had calmed down he took a step away from Shiro, rubbing his eyes. 

“Thanks.”

“C’mon, let’s go deliver a car and figure out what’s wrong with it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since I've posted a new work, this is an idea I've had for a while. It will touch on some topics of homophobia and transphobia later on in the fic, just a little, and Keith with his abandonment issues. Lmao I'm venting about my mommy issues, thanks. Also all the titles are based on the songs I played on repeat while writing the title. The main title "Love it if we made it" is a song title by the 1975 (good song, listen to it) and Somebody Else is also a song by 1975. Cheesy idea but I'm really bad at coming up with titles. Other chapters will have vague titles related to the theme of it probably


	2. Holy Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For a second he saw a flash of a memory- he saw the back of Keith’s head, his red hoodie visible. He wore it the first time they tried the place out; remembered how he was almost twenty minutes late and Keith did not let him hear the end of it, smile going strong. Lance blinked, and the image was gone. The booth was empty.

He hated Romeo and Juliet. 

He once heard someone compare their relationship to Romeo and Juliet. He couldn’t help but glare, thinking. A relationship compared to unfortunate lovers; the two doomed from the beginning, never to make it passed the ‘I love you’s, never to make it through their first conflict. Forbidden from a normal life, neglected by the others in their life, relying only on the dramatic urges in their teenage minds. 

Doomed to rush into love, as a wise man once warned them against, taking it three steps at a time to reach all the bases before the referee pulls them out of the game and replaces them with another, prettier person. Falling in love, at first sight, is nothing but a myth, it is impossible to know if you love someone after taking one look at them. You could feel attraction, lust, or desire at first glance, sure, but never love. Shakespeare was making an obvious mockery of the young love: mocking the glances, the whispers, the feelings, the lust, the meetings, the professed love, and in turn mocking their deaths. 

Yet the world deemed them as the most romantic lovers in history. 

In a world of Romeos and Juliets, Keith felt he was a Mercutio. Did that even make sense? Mercutio was the friend of Romeo and never found love, he just ended up dying. Keith hadn’t read Shakespeare in a while. The analogies weren’t even making sense anymore. 

At least Ophelia and Hamlet had something real going on.

Keith was in a _really_ bad mood.

Across town, Romeo was in a great mood. 

Picking out his best button up, Lance looked at himself in his full body mirror. Next to him on his dresser, where his phone was, a voice emanated from his phone.

“Which one did you grab? I’m so excited for you, dude!” It was Hunk, of course. There was no way he would get through date prep without his best friend helping out.

“The light blue one, it brings out my eyes.” He fluttered his eyelashes despite the other not being able to see him. Despite that, he knew Hunk was imagining it anyway. After slipping on the shirt he turned sideways, getting every angle in the mirror as he buttoned it up. “I like this one, it makes me look sexy. And it makes my shoulders look more broad, which is extra sexy.” His outfit wasn’t too fancy; he decided to go with black skinny jeans instead of slacks. The shoes were casual, a pair of blue converse he kept in great condition for events like this. He liked the full look, complete with slicking back his hair. Lance thought it made himself look more attractive; he enjoyed how it complimented his eyes.

Hunk chuckled at that, the smile in his voice. “She’s a lucky lady! Go get ‘em, tiger. Where are you planning on taking her?”

“Miller’s! I already trust the food. I’ve got plenty with Keith, so I know it’s a good spot to go.” He spoke with confidence, his voice fading for Hunk as he walked away and into his bathroom, grabbing a few bottles of cologne before returning to his phone. “Should I use ‘ _Swagger_ ’, ‘ _Husky Forest Man_ ’, or ‘ _Obsession_ ’ by Calvin Klein?”

“Which one is the one you normally use?”

“Obsession. I’m obsessed with it! Get it?” He chuckled at his own joke, smiling at himself in the mirror. A snort and a groan could be heard over the phone.

“Then use that one.”

“Got it,” he dabbed the cologne on his wrists, then behind his ears. His father taught him well, a little went a long way. Lance glanced at the time, gasping. “Shoot, gotta go. I need to go pick her up! I’ll update you when I’m home!” He waited for Hunk to say goodbye before ending the call and rushing out of his room, grabbing a jacket on his way out. 

The drive wasn’t long, her apartment complex wasn’t far from his own. Thankfully, his car was in working condition again, Lance owed it all to Shiro and Keith. Free of charge, too. The radio was quietly humming as he pulled up to the apartments, and into a parking spot. There he waited, looking around for the familiar face. It wasn’t much longer until he was met with one, but not the one he was expecting. The girl was tall and thin, more on the petite side. Her long, blonde hair was pulled up in her iconic ponytails, a look she rocked all throughout high school. Nyma Kennedy, the girl Lance thought would be his high school sweetheart. They dated, but it only lasted a summer. 

There was no bad blood between them, they ended on good terms, he just hadn’t expected to see her. They still talked sometimes, he knew she lived in an apartment with a friend and had a boyfriend named Rolo who (her words not his) was going to propose soon for sure. He was really happy for her. Lance rolled down his window and stuck his head out, waving.

“Hey, Nyma! Long time no see. I forgot you lived around here.” The noise caught her attention, a smile forming as she walked over. 

“What a sight for sore eyes, Lance McClain. And dressed up,” she started, before gasping softly. “Don’t tell me, you’re the guy Payton is going on a date with? I knew she was going out tonight but she never gave me a name- wow, what a small world.” She laughed softly, leaning on the car as they talked.

“I didn’t know you knew her, wow!” What a small world indeed. “But yeah, you caught me red handed. What can I say, I can’t resist a pretty face.” He flashed a smile, one that made Nyma roll her eyes playfully. 

“I know, trust me. She should be out soon, I left to get the mail a second ago and she was looking for her purse. I’ll leave you to it. If things get awkward just talk about me- you both know me after all.” It sounded conceited, but Lance knew she was just playing around. They exchanged their farewells and he watched her pigtails bouncing as she walked off. 

Lance remembered the day they broke up, he had been anxious the entire day. He didn’t know how to tell her that he had lost the romantic attraction he originally felt. Kissing her felt like kissing a friend and it was weird to him. Thankfully, she had beat him to the punch. Apparently kissing Lance was like kissing her brother and she was “just not into that”. Probably a good thing. They both laughed about it and life went on as normal. It had been his first real relationship and it did not end how he expected it to, but he valued the experience at least.

Soon enough he saw Payton walking towards his car, a bright smile on her face. She was hard to miss, her long hair was colored a cobalt blue that faded into a fuschia at the tips. It was so amazing, he loved how unique it was. It almost made him want to be adventurous and color his own hair. She had mentioned she would help him out if he ever wanted to experiment. Other than her hair, she still looked amazing. The romper she was wearing was a pale pink, little white buttons lining the front of the top. It was a nice contrast with her hair, and he could stare at her all night. Forget the date, let him sit there and admire her. Or maybe not, that was weird.

“Hey,” she opened the passenger side door, slipping into the seat and shutting the door. “Thanks for picking me up. Gonna tell me where we’re going yet?” Her tone was flirty, and it made Lance swell with confidence. He had this down, she was already into him and all he had to do was flirt back.

“No way, it’s called a surprise for a reason.” He put the car in reverse, pulled out of the parking spot, and drove off towards the restaurant. “You’ll like it though, I have a really good feeling.” 

Light, casual conversation fluttered between them, revolving around celebrity news and basic topics. Payton brought up how she was thinking about getting a puppy, mentioning she wanted someone special to help raise it. Lance thought of Kosmo; he remembered when he was a puppy. Lance told her he hoped she found someone. 

Once they arrived at the restaurant, he parked the car and practically jumped out, going around and opening the door for Payton. He did the same to the entrance of the restaurant, holding the door open for her. She politely thanked him both times. As they walked in Lance was hit with a wave of nostalgia. It wasn’t the fanciest place in town, there was no dress code for it. It was like a steakhouse but with cheaper food and a rustic feel to it. He loved it, the wood floors and the comforting atmosphere attracted Lance. He waited for the host who led the couple to their table. 

As he walked he caught sight of the booth where he and Keith sat in when they came; it was tucked back in the corner where they could have their privacy. Keith had picked it out for them, mentioning how he enjoyed the snug feeling it gave him. For a second he saw a flash of a memory- he saw the back of Keith’s head, his red hoodie visible. He wore it the first time they tried the place out; remember how he was almost twenty minutes late and Keith did not let him hear the end of it, smile going strong. Lance blinked, and the image was gone. The booth was empty. He turned his head away and continued to follow the host, sitting at the table they were directed towards. Lance always preferred a booth, but this was fine.

Like a gentleman, he pulled out Payton’s chair for her. She offered a small thanks as she sat down. Once he was sitting he grabbed the menu, making sure not to hold it too high so he could still see his date. It wasn’t long until their waitress came over, smiling wide. 

“Hello, my name is Jenni. What can I start you off with to drink?” 

Lance quirked his mouth as he thought, skimming the drink list on the menu. “I’ll just have a strawberry lemonade, thank you.” 

“Lemon water for me, please.” 

The waitress nodded and was quick to walk off, presumably to retrieve their drinks. Something caught Lance’s eye, his mind honing in on it. Someone walked by, and from behind they looked shockingly similar to Keith. The same dark hair, same build, and he had a similar hoodie to one of Keith’s favorites. It was a Lifeguard hoodie Lance had bought him the last time he visited Saint Augustine. Keith wore that thing all the time, he wondered if he was wearing it right now.

“-get here?” The noise brought Lance back, a quick glance towards Payton, then back at the person made Lance realize three things: he zoned out, he was not listening to whatever Payton was saying, and that guy did not look like Keith. They just had the same hoodie. Something was going on with Lance; Keith was popping up way too often for his liking. Lance couldn’t put his finger on what was going on.

“What was that?” He completely missed her question.

She didn’t seem too troubled by it if her giggle indicated anything. “I was asking what you would recommend I get here. Are you okay? You zoned out there.”

Lance ran a hand through his hair, smiling wide. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’m doing great. And I would recommend their burgers if you like burgers. If not, their chicken melts are also to die for. I normally get the BLT on flatbread every time I come in, but I’ve tried just about everything here.” He read a few suggestions off the menu, glancing up each time to make sure she was nodding and considering. 

“Oh! They have salads, I might get one of those.” 

Lance instantly chastised himself for thinking of that as such a basic, white girl move for a first date. He knew Payton liked burgers, they had talked about it before, and ordering a salad now almost sounded like a cliche. Which was something so rude to even think, if she wanted a salad she could have a goddamn salad. There was nothing wrong with that. 

“Good idea. The chicken salad seems really tasty.” 

The waitress brought their drinks, then left quickly. Neither of them looked ready to order. Lance was going to order what he always got, but he would pretend to still be looking if it made Payton feel more comfortable while browsing. It always made Keith feel better- he really needed to slow down. His thoughts should be on Payton, not Keith. He assumed it made sense why he kept thinking about Keith, this was their go-to spot when going to dinner with each other.

The date continued without much issue, Lance managing to keep his head in the restaurant and not wandering off across town. There were a few more times Keith entered his mindscape, for a split second when they first received their plates of food he swore Payton was Keith. A blink and the image was gone. That had been the last time he accidentally saw Keith during their date. Despite it being a weird occurrence, Lance kept himself smiling and focused on Payton. The longer it went on the less his heart was in it. He was having fun, don’t get him wrong, Payton was a fun person to spend the evening with, but it felt less like a date and more like two friends hanging out by the end of it. 

They skipped desserts. Lance paid. They left. 

The drive home was chattier than the first car ride, topics branching out. He knew Payton’s parents were really understanding and cool people. Her parents had three kids, Payton was the youngest out of them all. Both her siblings were already married, something she mentioned wanting to do in the future soon. 

As Lance pulled up to the apartment buildings the conversation dipped. He parked and said his goodbye, leaning over towards Payton. His goal was to ask if he could give her a goodnight kiss on the cheek, but she was out of the car quicker than he had time to lean over. He had a feeling there wouldn’t be a second date.

The normal ache that accompanied that type of rejection was present in Lance’s chest, but not as strong as normal. It felt dulled; Lance couldn’t find it in himself to be too upset. It didn’t make sense. She was gorgeous, smart, funny, sensitive, an extrovert, all things that Lance wanted in a girl and their date had gone pretty well. Even when he tried to rationalize it, he couldn’t find himself upset over it. 

The rejection still left him not wanting to be alone, anyhow. He pulled out his phone, still parked near the apartments. The question now was who could he text and ask if he could come over.

 _hey, hunk, u still awake?_

**Yeah! How’d the date go?**

_eh, it was alright_

_Idk if theres gonna be a second one tho_

_it was cool n all but i wasnt feelin it … i was actually really distracted during it and i felt like an ass but i couldnt help it_

There was a pause in replies. Hunk replied again after a few minutes.

**Aw! :( I’m sure you’re just overthinking it. She might want another date. Also sorry, I’ve got Shay over and we’re watching a movie.**

Well, there went Lance’s plan for asking to come over. He did not want to third wheel.

_not a prob bob, u smooch it up with yo girl, im gonna head home now anyway and prob crash_

**:D Get some rest you Casanova.**

Lance smiled at the text but didn’t reply. Who else could he text? Maybe his subconscious had been trying to tell him he needed to see Keith- why else would he pop up everywhere?

_mullet, u alive?_

The response came shockingly quick.

 **define alive**

He snorted a small laugh.

_uhh breathing, heart pumping, shit like that_

_where r u?_

**home, why?**

_done with my date, can i come over?_

There was a long silence on Keith’s end. Lance sighed and put the car in motion, getting himself back on the road. He hadn’t seen Keith in a few days, which was normal, but that meant he didn’t know exactly what type of mood Keith was in. The broody boy was known for episodes of isolationist practice. It never bothered Lance, he knew Keith was an introvert and needed his space. Lance could never relate, but he understood. The sound of his phone buzzing almost scared him, Lance waiting until he was at a stop sign to look.

**sure i guess, im not doing anything fun though. i was reading**

_sounds good to me! ill head over soon, cant wait to read with uuuu_

Lance continued driving, changing his route of travel in his mind.

**are you sure you can even read? :P**

Lance waited again until he was stopped to reply.

_ >:OO!!! _

After a quick stop at his apartment to grab necessities he was back on the road, making another stop at the nearest gas station to pick up coffee. If he was showing up on short notice he would at least bring something as an offering. After years of making coffee for Keith, he knew exactly what he liked, which happened to be a polar opposite to his own taste. 

Soon enough he arrived at Keith’s apartment, finding the door unlocked. 

Once inside he was greeted by a bark and Kosmo trotting towards him, nuzzling against his legs. He didn’t see Keith yet, which meant he was either in the bedroom or on the balcony. It was warm out; Keith must be on the balcony. Lance made his way towards the cracked door that led outside, pushing on it to make the crack wider. The sight that greeted him was a familiar one; Keith was sitting in one of the two chairs out there, book in hand, his hair tied back, and his glasses on. What a sight for sore eyes. After seeing flashes of him all over the restaurant, seeing him in person left Lance feeling content.

The other’s gaze never left the book, even as he heard the door shift on its hinges as something opened it wider. He knew it was Lance. Kosmo wouldn’t have needed to open the door more. He was also still in his bad mood. It wasn’t as strong as before, that had been hours ago, but the mood extended for the rest of the day. Reading helped him relax, eased his mind as he escaped his own bubble and ventured into others. He wanted to venture into Lance’s bubble. Once Lance was sitting in the other seat and holding out a gas station coffee cup he finally looked over, eyeing the cup, then Lance. Damn, he looked really nice. Oh yeah, the date. How could he forget?

“Thanks,” it was more of a murmur than actual words, Keith closing his book to reach out and take the cup from Lance’s hand. The other’s hand lingered near his own, blue eyes looking at him with concern. He hated when that look was directed at him.

“Are you doing okay?” Lance let his hand drop, taking his own in both hands now. “You seem kind of off tonight.” Over text, he seemed fine, but then again it was hard to read anyone over text. Now that they were in person, Keith couldn’t hide what he was feeling. Lance had known him too long to miss obvious signs. 

“‘M fine,” was all he answered. Keith didn’t sound moody, he tried not to at least. He went for a monotone approach, but Lance didn’t seem satisfied with that answer. So he tacked on more. “Just had an off day, is all. Thank you, really.” Keith held up the coffee for a second before taking a sip. Lance seemed to cave, but he still seemed concerned. 

It wasn’t until he offered a small smile, pushing his glasses up to rest in his hair, did Lance finally believe him. Lance smiled in return, letting his eyes linger over Keith’s for a little too long before he was glancing away, looking over the balcony at the city lights. A comfortable silence fell between them, both doing their own activities. Lance wanted to bring up his date, express his thoughts on how it went, but he knew Keith wouldn’t want to hear it. He never did. But Keith was his friend and would at least listen to his feelings, right?

“My date went okay,” Lance spoke softly, eyes dragging away from the city lights to the other. Keith was back to reading his book, eyes never leaving the page as he replied with a short “Mhmm” noise. Not the reaction he was hoping for but the one he expected. Keith didn’t show any signs that he was going to tell him to shut up, so he continued. “We went to Miller’s. She’s really cool. Oh, and I saw Nyma before we left, she’s roommates with Payton.” Lance kept watching Keith as he spoke, watching his fingers tense around the book. He continued, “I don’t know if I’ll be going on a second date, though.” The tension eased out of Keith’s hands almost instantly, those dark eyes finally lifting off the paper and turning their attention to Lance.

“How come?” His voice sounded soft, confused. Keith hadn’t really been reading his book, just staring at the pages as he willed Lance to stop talking about his amazing date- the amazing date that wasn’t as amazing as Keith assumed. 

“She didn’t seem too into me when I dropped her off. I think halfway through she lost interest in the romantic part of it. I think she still had fun, but she probably doesn’t want to date me.” Lance left out the part about going in for a kiss only to be rejected. That event wasn’t exactly tender or hurt at all, but he was still embarrassed about it. Keith was silent for a few moments before closing his book and reaching over the short distance between their chairs to comfortingly rub at Lance’s arm. 

“Maybe she’ll still want to be your friend at least?” Keith selfishly felt relieved that Lance wasn’t planning on a second date with this girl, but he would still comfort Lance while he seemed upset over that fact. He would keep his selfish thoughts to himself.

The touch had Lance smiling, shrugging at Keith. “I hope so, she’s really cool. But I ‘dunno. I think I kind of lost interest too, which is weird because I was really excited to see her. We just got to the restaurant and like, I don’t know,” Lance knew exactly what distracted him, but he wasn’t going to tell Keith. “I think we’re just going to stay friends.” One hand went to pat over the hand Keith still had on his arm, giving it a little squeeze. Keith’s attention focused on that touch now, eyes moving from Lance’s face to their hands. 

“Well, it’s her loss. You’re great,” Keith didn’t know if he said that to try and make Lance feel better or if he was trying to drop hints. He pulled his hand back after that, both hands holding onto the warm coffee cup.

“Yeah,” Lance’s voice trailed off as they lost the connection through their hands, eyes still on Keith even as he looked away. There was something breathtaking about the way the moonlight caught on Keith’s skin and crept through his hair. Keith didn’t notice the staring, though he wouldn’t have minded even if he did. His eyes were on the world beyond the balcony edge, spotting various lit up windows turning dark as most reasonable people retreated to bed. Something he should do, but it would be hard now that he had coffee with him. It was inevitable he would be up until early hours with coffee now in his system. He had some work he should probably get started on anyway, but how long was Lance staying? Finally, he looked back over towards Lance, catching him staring. The other just smiled softly, bringing the cup to his lips as he averted his eyes. Keith wanted to taste those lips. He knew he would not like the taste, Lance’s coffee was too sweet for an average person, but the temptation was there. Every fiber in his being screamed to get closer to Lance- touch him, hold him, kiss him, anything-

“Do you want to spend the night?” It slipped out before Keith had time to process what he was saying. Maybe it was subconscious self-sabotage, but he had Lance close and he did not want him to leave. 

“Hmm. Yeah, I’d like that.” Lance’s gaze was back on Keith, that sweet smile from before lingering on his lips. 

They spent another thirty minutes before Lance retreated back inside, claiming it was getting too cold. Keith followed him in after a few more minutes, finding Lance on the couch in one of his shirts and pajama pants. The sight made him smile.

Keith had been right, he did not make it to bed early. This time it had nothing to do with coffee, but the challenge of Rainbow Road and Lance’s chants that Keith clearly cheated. They both ended up falling asleep leaning against each other on the couch, controllers forgotten on the floor.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad being the supportive, best friend character if it meant having moments like these with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk what im doing with this fic anymore tbh, im just writing. thanks to anyone who is reading this and enjoying it! share it with ya friends if you want and leave a comment! my first chapter kinda sucked but i like this one a lot better and itll get better from here (probably). anyway, enjoy! also i really suck at titles so i literally just pick the song i kinda relate to the chapter and this song was Holy Ghost by Børns. I don't have any explanation, lance sees keith everywhere, keith wants to kiss and touch lance ig, it doesnt matter really im just going on.

**Author's Note:**

> Been a while since I've posted a new work, this is an idea I've had for a while. It will touch on some topics of homophobia and transphobia later on in the fic, just a little, and Keith with his abandonment issues. Lmao I'm venting about my mommy issues, thanks. Also all the titles are based on the songs I played on repeat while writing the title. The main title "Love it if we made it" is a song title by the 1975 (good song, listen to it) and Somebody Else is also a song by 1975. Cheesy idea but I'm really bad at coming up with titles.


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